Special Education
Applied Behavior Analysis Graduate Certificate (ABAC)
This 15-credit certificate program is designed to increase the professional training of individuals responsible for designing, implementing, and monitoring behavioral treatment and verbal behavior training programs in schools, private practices, and agencies such as psychiatric hospitals and training centers. Certificate does not meet teacher licensure.
Applied Behavior Analysis is a discipline devoted to understanding human behavior and the variables to which it is related, and to bringing about improvements in human behavior and the quality of life that are significant to the individuals involved, through application of empirically validated, scientific methodology to real-world problems and solutions. Applied Behavior Analysis has applications in business and industry; autism, mental retardation, and intellectual disabilities; education at all levels; treatment of psychiatric disorders and family relationships; geriatrics; general and specialty medicine; and numerous other areas.
The Certificate Program in Applied Behavior Analysis prepares students to become competent practitioners of behavior analysis, and contributors to the discipline. Content of the courses in this program is derived from the Task List published by the national Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) as well as the Board’s Guidelines for Responsible Conduct. It is approved to meet course requirements for to sit for the Behavior Analyst Certification Examination, administered semi-annually. For more information on the Board and the examination, please visit the Board’s website at www.bacb.com. Activities are varied, depending on the types of student behavioral repertoires being shaped in the context of particular activities. In addition to the coursework, supervised experience is required to sit for the BCBA exam. An optional practicum (EDSE 790) is offered for students needing supervision. Supervision can be completed as on-the-job internship for students who have appropriate employment settings, or through Mason placement options.
Offered in the fall:
- EDSE 619: Applied Behavior Analysis: Principles, Procedures, and Philosophy (3 credit hours) (May be offered in the spring as well)
- EDSE 621: Applied Behavior Analysis: Empirical Bases (3 credit hours)
Offered in the spring:
- EDSE 623: Applied Behavior Analysis: Assessments and Interventions (3 credit hours)
- EDSE 624: Applied Behavior Analysis: Applications (3 credit hours)
Offered in the summer:
- EDSE 625: Applied Behavior Analysis: Verbal Behavior (3 credit hours)
Tuition Assistance and Grant Funding
Paid internships: In order to sit for the Behavior Analyst Certification Examination, students must meet coursework and supervised experience requirements. Through collaborative agreements with third party agencies (e.g., schools, non-profits, families), George Mason University provides funding opportunities for students to meet these supervision requirements. Internship experiences and tuition assistance are available for students who commit to a 1 or 2 year practicum experience working with sponsoring agencies. Students may complete these internships either in conjunction with the ABA certificate coursework at George mason, or after completing George Mason’s ABA certificate coursework. Internship experiences offered by George Mason University have been granted Approved Experience status by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (www.bacb.com).
Cohort program: The Special Education program works collaboratively with a number of school divisions in Virginia to offer special education certificates and degree programs to school employees using a cohort model. This model provides convenience to the students and forms a better link between academia and school realities. Additional benefits of the cohort model include tuition discounts, classes located in the students’ school divisions and course scheduling in alignment with school division calendars.